S.A. Pulley, D.O.
MC-CISM
**The information in this handout is informational
only. It is not a substitute for involvement of
trained/experienced CISM staff members.**
Crisis Management Briefings
(CMB)
Large Group Crisis Intervention in Response to Terrorism,
Disasters, and Violence
Crisis Management Briefings (CMB)
 Group psychological crisis intervention designed to mitigate the levels of
felt crisis and traumatic stress in the wake of terrorism, mass disasters,
violence, and other “large scale” crises
CISM
 CMB is but one component of the comprehensive
Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) crisis intervention system
 CISM
 Crises & disasters seem epidemic
 The threat of mass terrorism has become an ever-increasing reality
 Instant mass media coverage of these events may, for some, represent a
source of vicarious traumatization
 CISM represents a powerful, yet cost-effective approach to crisis response
 What is CISM?
 A comprehensive, integrative, multicomponent crisis intervention
system
 Spans the temporal & functional
 Pre-crisis phase Acute crisis phase Post-crisis phase
 Interventions for individuals, small functional or large groups, families,
organizations, & entire communities
 Core Components of CISM
 Pre-crisis preparation
 Stress management education, stress resistance, and crisis
mitigation training
for both individuals and organizations
 Large Scale incident interventions
 Demobilizations for ES personnel
 CMB for school, corporate, and general civilian populations
 “Town Meetings”
 Incident Command staff advisement
 Defusing
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S.A. Pulley, D.O.
MC-CISM

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
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3-phase, structured small group discussion provided within hours of
a crisis
 Assessment, triaging, & acute symptom mitigation
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) 7-Phase “ICISF model”
 1-10 days post crisis (3-4 weeks in disaster)
 Mitigates acute symptoms, assess the need for follow-up, and if
possible provide a sense of post-crisis psychological closure
One-on-one crisis intervention/ counseling or psychological support
throughout the full range of the crisis
Family crisis intervention and Organizational consultation
Follow-up and Referral mechanisms for assessment and treatment, if
necessary
CRISIS MANAGEMENT BRIEFINGS (CMB)
 A Four Phase group crisis intervention
 Requires from 45 to 75 minutes
 It may be used with “large” groups consisting of 10 to 300 individuals
 Designed to be used with primary victim civilian populations in the wake of
terrorism, mass disasters, violence, and other large-scale crises
 Crisis Management Briefing May be implemented in:
 Schools
 Corporations
 Community settings
 It may have applicability in other settings with other populations
 It is but one component within the comprehensive CISM system
 The CMB is designed to be used within a comprehensive CISM framework
 It should not be used as a “stand-alone” intervention
PHASE ONE
 The first phase consists of bringing together a group of individuals who
have experienced a common crisis event
 In response to a school crisis, for example, an assembly could be
held in the auditorium
 Depending upon the number of students, one grade could be
addressed at a time
 Or other divisions of the student body could be used
 In response to a workplace crisis, a company meeting room could be
used
 Or a room could be rented at a local hotel or commercial meeting
facility
 In response to mass disasters, large-scale violence, or terrorism
 Local school auditoriums could be used to address the civilian
populations
 They could correspond to the respective school or voting districts
 Announcements could be made via radio, television, and internet sites
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S.A. Pulley, D.O.
MC-CISM
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Repeat the CMB until all constituents have been addressed within
the given circumscribed area/population
This act of assembly is the first step in reestablishing the sense of
community that is so imperative to the recovery and rebuilding process
PHASE TWO
 Have the most appropriate and credible sources or authorities explain the
facts of the crisis event
 Respected & highly credible spokesperson
 Develops the perceived credibility of the message and the belief that
the actions and support will be effective
 The ethos of the spokesperson contributes to the effectiveness of the
message/information being disseminated
 Objective and credible information should serve to:
 Control destructive rumors
 Reduce anticipatory anxiety
 Return a sense of control to victims
 Maintain confidentiality
 Receive factual information concerning that which is, and is not, known
PHASE THREE
 Discuss the most common reactions that are relevant to the crisis event
 Signs
 Symptoms
 Psychological themes
 For example:
 In suicide, the psychological theme of suicide should be addressed
 In terrorism, the dynamics of terrorism should be discussed
 Common signs and symptoms of
 Grief
 Anger
 Stress
 Survivor guilt
 Responsibility guilt
 And how they relate to survivors, friends, and others
PHASE FOUR
 Address personal coping and self-care strategies that may be of value in
mitigating the distressing reactions
 Simple, practical, stress management strategies should be discussed
 Community & organizational resources available to facilitate recovery
 Questions should be actively entertained as appropriate
 Each group participant given a reference sheet that briefly describes:
 Common signs and symptoms
 Common stress management techniques
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S.A. Pulley, D.O.
MC-CISM
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Timing
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Local professional resources (with contact information) available to aid
recovery
Timing for the CMB is highly situation-specific and flexible
The CMB can be repeated as long as it proves to be useful
Summary
 CMB is as an efficient large group crisis intervention that may be used for
primary civilian populations (and perhaps others)
 CMB is useful in the wake of terrorism, mass disasters, violence, and
similar large-scale community-wide or school organizational crises
 CMB provides a standardization of large group crisis intervention
procedures
 Standardization provides reliability in application/implementation
 The human resource is the most valuable resource any organization or
community possesses
 CMB is designed to protect that human resource
Reference
Everly GS. Crisis Management Briefings (CMB): Large Group Crisis
Intervention in Response to Terrorism, Disasters, and Violence.
[International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 2000, 2(1), 53-57
Located at www.icisf.org under articles
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